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Main Lake District road shut for six weeks

One of the main roads through the Lake District will be closed for six weeks. The B5289, which skirts along the east of Derwent Water and is the main access road for communities along Borrowdale including Grange, Rosthwaite and Seatoller, is shut.

The B5289 in the Lake District will be shut for six weeks

One of the main roads through the Lake District will be closed for six weeks. The B5289, which skirts along the east of Derwent Water and is the main access road for communities along Borrowdale including Grange, Rosthwaite and Seatoller, is shut.

Cumbria Highways Engineers say need to carry out structural repairs to a retaining wall that stops the roadway from collapsing into the lake. Residents and businesses will face a detour across Honister Pass which can get blocked by snow and ice in winter.

Barry Surtees from Honister Slate Mine said it would affect his business by stopping lorries from using the Borrowdale route to collect slate. He also criticised the council for a lack of notice claiming he had not had any communications from Cumbria County Council directly.

"We appreciate that this is a popular, well-known road work on the retaining wall and keep one lane open, we now know that this cannot be done safely.

"We will pull out all the stops to get the work done as soon as we can and keep our fingers crossed that the weather will be kind as this will help with the time it takes.”